Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Mac Lochlainn wanted to make a point about this but just to say that the effect of the deletion would be to maintain the status quo, that the only fathers who are guardians are the child's marital father or a father who makes a statutory declaration with the child's mother appointing him as guardian, or a father who obtains a court order appointing him as guardian under section 6A of the 1964 Act.

I am very conscious of the desire to improve the position of other natural fathers, and I am investigating ways of achieving that. However, this deletion will simply mean that a substantial number of non-marital fathers will not now benefit from the new provision which would enable them to become guardians automatically without taking any further action.

Are we also dealing with Deputy Collins' amendment?